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pushing knife down with both hands through a cantaloupe

How to Cut a Cantaloupe

Makes 4 servings
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 0 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
  • 1 cantaloupe

KEY: pinch (⅛ tsp) | tsp = teaspoon (5ml) | Tbsp = Tablespoon (15ml)

  • First, wash the cantaloupe very well with water (Don't skip this! See Note 1) and pat dry.
    washing a cantaloupe
  • Cut a thin slice off the base of the cantaloupe to make a flat surface for it to sit on.
    cutting thin slice of cantaloupe off stem-end
  • Set the cantaloupe straight up on the cutting board on its new flat base that you created.
    cantaloupe sitting upright on cutting board
  • Push down through the melon to cut it in half, by using both hands on opposite ends of a long knife.
    pushing knife down with both hands through a cantaloupe
  • Scrape out the seeds with a large spoon. (If you will only be eating half now, leave the seeds in the second half while storing it in the fridge to help preserve a fresh texture.)
    scraping out the seeds of a cantaloupe melon
  • Cut into wedges, with both hands on the knife, first cutting each side in half lengthwise, and then in half again.
    cutting cantaloupe into wedges
  • Hold one end of a wedge, and slice the orange pulp from the green border of the rind with a small knife, until you reach halfway. Then, switch ends, holding the other end with your hand while you slowly slice through the remaining half, until the pulp is completely detached. (See Note 2 for an alternative.)
    slicing a melon wedge from its rind
  • To cut the cantaloupe into cubes, cut the pulp into bite size pieces with the unattached pulp still sitting on the wedge's rind. (At this point, the rind is serving as a great cutting board.)
    cutting a cantaloupe wedge into cubes
1 Washing - Since melon rind can be contaminated with pathogens from the ground it grows on, follow these safety tips:
  • wash melons well with water, ideally with a brush (especially on cantaloupe's raised netting), and dry any water off before placing on a cutting board, so that the melon's rind doesn’t contaminate the cutting board and the knife doesn't contaminate the melons flesh when cutting into it.
  • Wash your hands also after handling the unwashed melon.
2 Wedge Rind - Instead of completely detaching the rind from the pulp, you can leave the very end of the wedge attached to the rind so that the pulp doesn’t slide off, so that you can use the rind wedges as little plates, and enjoy with knife and fork. (See a simple way to serve cantaloupe in Italy.)

Tools

  • Knife with 8½" (21½cm) or longer blade

Nutrition Information

Calories: 47kcal (2%) | Carbohydrates: 11g (4%) | Protein: 1g (2%) | Fat: 0.2g | Sodium: 41mg (2%) | Potassium: 217mg (6%) | Fiber: 1g (4%) | Sugar: 11g (12%) | Vitamin A: 4667IU (93%) | Vitamin B1 (Thiamine): 0.1mg (7%) | Vitamin B3 (Niacin): 1mg (5%) | Vitamin C: 15mg (18%) | Folate (Vitamin B9): 19µg (5%) | Iron: 1mg (6%) | Magnesium: 18mg (5%) | Zinc: 1mg (7%)
Please keep in mind that nutritional info is an estimate and varies according to ingredients used.